September 2, 2008 Will Palin pregnancy affect voters? Play video

(NECN: Ally Donnelly) - After some bumpy moments courtesy of Hurricane Gustav, things are beginning to get back to normal in St. Paul. Without doubt, the subject dominating the Republican National Convention is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

With news coming out of Palin's 17-year-old daughter being five-months pregnant, many are wondering how this will play out with voters.

Sarah Palin's story is a good one. The self-described "hockey mom" going from PTA to the possibility of Pennsylvania Avenue. But, Palin's time in the sun, as John McCain's vice presidential pick, may have clouds on the horizon.

The 44-year-old Alaska governor is the mother of five. Her four-month-old, Trig, has down syndrome and now the public has learned her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. Palin's family challenges have some asking, is it too much to handle should she need to step in as commander-in-chief?

Carol Hardy-Fanta is the director of the Non-partisan Center for Women in Politics at UMASS-Boston. She says Palin's position shines the spotlight on the age-old question -- can women have it all?

Mary Shapiro is with the Simmons School of Management. She says, clearly, Palin was chosen to try and grab the vote of women who want to see one of their own in the corner office, chipping away at the glass ceiling and the notion that women can't achieve work-family balance.

But, Shapiro says the McCain campaign may well have sunk their own ship

The analysts Ally talked to say by parsing the details of Palin's family life to death, society is doing a disservice to women who are trying to breakthrough stereotypes. Women will only have shattered the ceiling, when the focus is solely on qualifications, not kids.